It was unbearably loud in the nightclub. Rob felt as if he was essentially in the beating heart of the entire city; the walls pulsed and pumped around him, complete with the red lights that hung above and the swaying bodies moving throughout the dance-floor.

Rob, Sam, and Austin had claimed a half-circular booth off to the side of the floor, talking to themselves, having drinks that cost more than a tank of gas in their van, and talking to the various women that moved about them. Jane and Mia had stepped out a moment ago, and it was like the floodgates had opened; word has spread about their activity in the band. It was like the woman here wanted a claim to fame—hoping to spread the story of their respective one night stands with bands that had become far more famous in the meantime.

Mia in particular struck Rob to be in a similar vein as these other women, but with the added benefit of being someone Rob had known in the past. He wouldn’t lie to himself; she was incredibly attractive. Her curved body, her outfit, her wild curly hair, were all perfectly chaotic. She was more of a force than a person. A great temptation for Rob to choose to succumb to or deny. 

He felt odd being back out in the open, single like this. Ever since Jane’s denial he hadn’t been with any women. Even after being freed from any and all expectations from her he still felt the undeniable urge to stay faithful to her, even if she wasn’t. He had no reason to believe she had been with anyone else, but he felt like it was only a matter of time before she indulged herself. It was only in the nature she had presented to him, and it was only nature that drew him to Mia. After Sam and Austin had excused themselves to dance with their prospects, Mia swarmed in like on perfect cue, sliding against him, pressing her skin against his. 

“You’ve got to try this!” She exclaimed, first sipping her drink with crimson lips, then pressing the drink to his. He could taste her as he did so, drinking something that tasted far more like pure alcohol than not. “It’s like a spirit, but [i]so[/i] much better!” she said, downing the rest. “Talk to me, Rob. What have you been up to?”

They continued on, with Mia’s advances being so obvious. He felt her leg slowly wrap around his under the table; her arms slowly growing closer to his. 

They talked for several minutes, catching up on what Rob had done, and what Mia had done in the expanse between their last connection. Rob had purposefully dropped all contact with Mia, hoping to make sure Jane would’ve never found out about the events that had transpired. He [i]never[/i] kept secrets from her, but he always felt like this one would’ve really hurt her. Over the years, he forgot about Mia, hoping she’d just be another girl that’d fade away, never to be seen again.

Yet here they were.

Mia seemed good enough. She had worked odd jobs, before settling in some office. It didn’t seem too out of character for her; she had always looked at jobs as simply a way to get money for the nights. Rob had always seen jobs such as those as a bit of a prison. He tried to explain how he felt, but Mia seemed less and less interested in small talk. Once Sam and Austin had gotten back from his dance, he was looking for a final way out of this. For Jane’s sake…he really didn’t want to do this. 

He pulled Sam and Austin aside, claiming to have gone to get more drinks. The loud music roared from a speaker close to them, and they shouted to be heard. 

Rob shouted something indistinguishable beyond the pulse of the music.

“[i]What?![/i]” Sam shouted.

“[i]I need you to [u]fuck[/u] Mia![/i]” Rob shouted even louder. He felt head around them rotate. Sam’s eyes darted past Rob to the girl he had been eyeing that night. 

“What makes you think she would?!” he shouted back. 

“She likes you too,” he said, “she told me back at my place in high school. She’d be down for it!” 

“How?!” he asked. Sam seemed to be alright with the idea, but doubted the execution. Rob could catch wind of Mia’s glare from the table. 

“Just follow my lead,” Rob said. He looked around again. “Where’s Jane?” 

“She came by the bar a minute ago, said she was going back to the room. She seemed pretty shit-faced.”

Rob sighed, hoping he hadn’t have been the cause of whatever influenced Jane to drink that night. Still, a part of him was happy she didn’t run off with another man. She had every right to, but the thought still burned. 

He thanked Sam, and took him back to the table. The hours past faster now, with the three of them taking turns slipping into the restrooms and enjoying a line or two of Mia’s personal stash. Rob kept up face, making sure to push Sam at Mia whenever possible. After Austin had long since left the nightclub with another woman under his arm, Sam and Rob were still there, horrendously drunk, very high, and loosing consciousness fast. 

“I’m going to go find another drink!” He slurred out, wiping the cocaine from his nose. He had to focus much harder now, making sure to give Sam a slap on the back as he felt. Last he saw of them before the door closed behind him, Sam had lifted Mia up, setting her on the sink and sliding between her legs. He smiled faintly as he tried to make his way out.

The music and noise all blended together this late at night. He felt like he was in some sort of vision or nightmare. He fought his way outside, pushing past everyone he saw and calling an Uber.

“Shit, dude,” the driver said as Rob climbed into his seat. The driver passed a few napkins back to Rob. He looked down, realizing his nose had bled down his face and onto his shirt. “I’m surprised you could even call me.” 

Rob mumbled a thanks as he made it to the hotel, making sure to tip the driver well. By the time me made it into the room, he collapsed against the wall by the door. Dried blood clung to his face. Matted hair stuck in randomized bunches against his forehead and eyes. The rush of the coke and the buzzing of the drinks were mixing together all to terribly. Crawling to the sink, Rob wretched out the contents of his stomach, moaning slightly as he did so. He felt a sort of small victory, having found a way around being with Mia. But…it felt more and more like a pyrrhic victory, as he slid down unto the floor by the door. Balling himself up, he felt the cold floor against he cheek as he held himself and closed his eyes. Every fiber of his being wanted to force himself up to his room, to keep Jane from seeing what he had done.  But he was more than drained; having conquered his temptations by drowning them out. 

Forcing himself to sit up on the floor at the very least, he reached above his head, pulling down a glass, slipping it into the water dispenser by the fridge and pulling down a fresh glass of water, and sipped on it. He leaned his head against the cabinets behind him, and tried to angle his legs away from the door, hoping not to get tripped over in case Jane slipped in. With that final act, he closed his eyes, knowing he was in for another long, sleepless night. He only hoped he could be sober enough to manage the interview tomorrow.